Helping business owners, freelancers & other self-employed creatives succeed… and have fun doing it. It can be overwhelming at times, but there’s nothing like the privilege of working for yourself – making your own rules, owning your time, and trusting your instincts to make the right decisions. With short episodes that get straight to the point, this podcast is about the common issues we face in business, along with solutions that work for other creatives like you. Aardvark Girl is a producer, project manager & business specialist with 20+ years of experience managing companies & helping people in creative industries. She helps you get a handle on the business side of things so you can focus on your talent. Let's get to work!
Episodes
Monday Sep 28, 2020
Charge Your Worth
Monday Sep 28, 2020
Monday Sep 28, 2020
One of the most common business discussions I see online is about rates - how to price your services, how to get clients to pay what you’re worth, and why sometimes you have to say no and walk away.
This especially happens with those who are just starting out. There seems to be an inherent fear that if you charge too much, you won’t get any clients and your business will fail. But it’s so much harder to sustain a business when you’re undervaluing your services. You have to work twice as hard, and who wants to do that?
00:26 “I can’t charge that much” is usually more about imposter syndrome than the value of your services.
01:01 The right client is not going to trust someone whose rates are too low.
01:54 Charging low rates makes it harder for you to charge more in the future, can be a strain on your mental health, and can hurt your entire industry.
02:48 “If I do a job in 30 minutes, it’s because I spent 10 years learning how to do that in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes.” - Davy Greenberg
03:31 Charge project rates versus hourly so you aren't penalized for efficiency.
04:40 Rates should be based on a number of factors - your experience, skill level, expertise in a specific industry, and market value. Do your research.
06:02 Don't underestimate the value of your time, and make sure you and your client are on the same page about what they are paying for and what you are delivering.
06:42 Be confident that you are worth it and you will connect with the people who understand and appreciate you for what you have to offer.
Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl
Thanks for listening!
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Finding Balance & Being a Boss
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Monday Sep 21, 2020
We often have many, many thoughts going on in our heads at once, so that's what this episode is - a collection of thoughts from the week.
00:38 How do we find that balance that's so important in the middle of the chaos?
01:06 One of my solutions for everything is just to find humor in a situation. A couple of my go-to videos when I need to laugh: https://youtu.be/KOOmaBbqYBk (Michael Stipe's dance moves around 1:50) and any Future Islands performance: https://youtu.be/GK4lD3Uf8_o
02:57 Changing your mood is helpful, but sometimes you have to understand why your mood is what it is in the first place. I had this big realization this week that certain notification sounds are triggers for me
04:04 If you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it's most likely because of all the work you have to do. But is there something else that is contributing to that stress that you can control?
04:57 People often say the reason they started their business is because they want to be their own boss. But what does it mean to be a boss?
06:09 It all comes down to how you communicate with the other people, and understanding that being the boss does not mean that you're better than everybody else.
07:18 When you're working on a team, whether there's somebody in a position of power or not, it's never okay to treat anybody as if they are less than.
07:42 If you feel that somebody on your team is being disrespectful or condescending, before you go into defensive mode, stop and think about the person's intent.
09:03 You don't have to keep working with people who don't align with the way that you like to work.
10:00 If you're one of those people who doesn't have an inner monologue, can you describe what "abstract" thoughts are like? It seems like it would be peaceful.
10:39 How do you find balance when you're busy? I think you have to take it in the moments where it’s available to you.
11:24 Sometimes I think we have to bargain with ourselves and remember that, even though we're running businesses, we don't have to work all the time. It's not just about work-life balance, it's about work-work balance.
11:57 While I'm grateful to be busy, sometimes I almost wonder if it's a gift or a curse - but I always choose to look at it as a gift.
13:38 It's all about perspective - choosing to find the good and believing that things happen the way they're supposed to.
Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl
Thanks for listening!
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Kelly Schwarze: A Filmmaking Mindset
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Joining me today is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, and author. His latest book, “A Filmmaking Mindset: The New Path of Today’s Filmmaker” is available on Amazon now. I’m talking with Kelly Schwarze about how the film industry is shifting and what we can do to adapt.
Buy "A Filmmaking Mindset: The New Path of Today's Filmmaker" on Amazon
Connect with Kelly:
Indie Film Factory website and Facebook
Instagram @directorkelly
00:36 "Like everybody else, when the pandemic hit and we were looking at job cancellations and productions getting shut down, the first thing I thought was, 'Okay, how do I innovate?' I've always thought of myself as kind of always having to hustle. I've never really rested on my laurels ever. So I think for us, it's always about been innovation. For me personally, it's been about trying to evolve and do different things and try different things in terms of production."
01:45 "I get the idea of it being a very scary time, but it is what it is. And you have to look and figure out ways that you can innovate and do things that are productive, but also to reflect on how you can do things better when things do get back into practice. And I think that's another takeaway from all this, and it's definitely put the spotlight on the fact that we're able to do things that we didn't think we could do."
03:35 "I think what we're seeing now is this big question mark, whether or not this industry has to change course, dramatically."
05:38 "Everybody is waiting for permission. And I think a lot of people are so afraid looking foolish, being intimidated by the technology of it all."
08:47 "Film School teaches you perfect world scenario. When you start having to pay for things, and you have to start looking at the economy of making money back on a project, that's when you start to really think about the reality of things."
10:51 "This is a lifetime, a career of trial and error, and missed opportunities, and bad decisions, and mistakes. But it's all a part of that process. And if you don't understand that, it makes it very difficult. So I always say like, just go out, make mistakes, and embrace every one of them."
13:34 "I believe talent is something that is acquired over time, too. But it's really about your focus and your interest. You know, if you're passionate about telling stories, you're going to figure out a way to tell stories. And if you focus on it enough, you're going to end up being the best you can be. And that's all you can ask for."
15:48 "I make a commitment to getting up every day and incrementally doing things in my life. And I think that's what we have to try to do to stay on point."
18:59 "Not every day is going to be your superstar day. You just have to be in a position to understand that and relate to it and move on. And not everything's going to turn out perfectly. It's trial and error, but also giving yourself that time to be calm.
22:51 "We may go back to set, but it may also be a hybrid of things. You may start to see that the cost economics of keeping somebody remote is far more beneficial."
27:12 "I think it's really people's unwillingness to adapt, and to accept change, that's going to be the death to a lot of aspects of people in this industry."
31:27 "So the good thing with 'Abigail Haunting' is that it just took off, and it happened to be in the midst of a time where not a lot of new content was coming out. So we had the opportunity to, for several weeks, be in the most popular film category on Amazon. And then over Memorial Day weekend, we were like the third most popular movie. And I'm sitting there thinking this is nuts. I mean, this is crazy. We have at least over a million people that have seen this movie on that platform alone. So it's incredible, the opportunity that this whole thing has provided us in a way on a filmmaking level."
33:52 "With the way things are going with production, it's going to have to be about storytelling."
Monday Sep 07, 2020
Aardvark Girl Q&A #1
Monday Sep 07, 2020
Monday Sep 07, 2020
I thought it would be fun to do something a little differently, so this episode will be a bit of a Q&A session. I posted a poll on social to find out what you might want to know from me, and here are a few of the suggestions.
00:16 How did you know it was time to go out on your own?
06:33 How long did it take you to get started?
08:07 What is the best and worst advice you were given when starting out?
13:35 What is the most overlooked skill you need to be successful?
Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl
Would you like to hear more Q&A episodes? What are some of the questions you would like to ask me or that you would like to know about?
Please send them to me on social @aardvarkgirl or email info@aardvarkgirl.com.
I really want to know if this is something that you would like to hear more of, or if you prefer the single topic episodes instead.
Thanks for listening!